Put away your GPS

I was driving around Minneapolis and St. Paul during the weekend – glancing over into my neighbor’s vehicle I couldn’t help but notice nearly everyone had a GPS.

I looked forward at my dashboard, where there is a space for GPS, but mine wasn’t plugged in, and I smiled smugly.

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By Tyson HillNews Writer - St. James PlaindealerTwitter: @plaindlrTysonEmail: plaindlr@stjamesnews.com

St. James Plaindealer - St. James, MN

By Tyson HillNews Writer - St. James PlaindealerTwitter: @plaindlrTysonEmail: plaindlr@stjamesnews.com

Posted Jan. 8, 2013 at 8:00 AM

By Tyson HillNews Writer - St. James PlaindealerTwitter: @plaindlrTysonEmail: plaindlr@stjamesnews.com

Posted Jan. 8, 2013 at 8:00 AM

St. James Plaindealer

I was driving around Minneapolis and St. Paul during the weekend – glancing over into my neighbor’s vehicle I couldn’t help but notice nearly everyone had a GPS.

I looked forward at my dashboard, where there is a space for GPS, but mine wasn’t plugged in, and I smiled smugly.

It gave me a good feeling, a subtle sense of accomplishment, knowing that I didn’t need a GPS to get to where I was going.

It used to be a special skill people had – they would give directions naming streets, highways and landmarks along the way. Now, there is a double-named Tom Tom to give you directions or a female with an English accent “recalculating” as you pull into a gas station with your Garmin.

A GPS is a really amazing thing and very useful. In fact, pretty much everything about a GPS is great – though I suspect the map-making industry would disagree. They get you where you’re going without much hassle in the fastest time possible in any route you’d like to take. They can also be an unnecessary distraction in a world filled with electronic devices.

So, I’m encouraging you to unplug the GPS for just a couple of days and look at the poor schmucks surrounding you who still need their GPS to find Overson Lumber. Then, you too can feel the smug happiness of knowing where you’re going.

By Tyson HillNews Writer - St. James PlaindealerTwitter: @plaindlrTysonEmail: plaindlr@stjamesnews.com

St. James Plaindealer - St. James, MN

By Tyson HillNews Writer - St. James PlaindealerTwitter: @plaindlrTysonEmail: plaindlr@stjamesnews.com